


The Enemy of my Enemy

by mobilisinmobili



Series: Double-0-Everything and Nothing at All [2]
Category: Alex Rider - Anthony Horowitz
Genre: Action/Adventure, Black Markets, Blackmail, Blood and Violence, Hostage Situations, Illegal Activities, Mission Fic, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Teamwork, War Crimes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-18
Updated: 2020-08-20
Packaged: 2021-03-04 03:00:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,518
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24786586
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mobilisinmobili/pseuds/mobilisinmobili
Summary: In all honesty, spending his 17th locked up on a US Army base in the middle of a warzone was not something he had foreseen happening..Or.Alex gets deployed, sort of.
Relationships: Ben "Fox" Daniels & Alex Rider, K-Unit & Alex Rider, Tom Harris & Alex Rider, Tulip Jones & Alex Rider, Yassen Gregorovich & Alex Rider
Series: Double-0-Everything and Nothing at All [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1754563
Comments: 16
Kudos: 116





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Set about 3 weeks after "Of Moral Obligations and Occupational Priorities"

"He's military, no doubt about that. But I don't think I've ever seen a khaki beret before."

"There's _no_ way that guy's regular military with a ride like _that_."

"Looks bloody intimidating as well. Just got that _aura,_ you know?" 

Tom smirked, reaching for his drink. "Oh, he can _definitely_ hold his own." 

Three sets of eyes tore themselves away from the newfound point of interest back and focused back on Tom looking all the more surprised at their friend's casual comment. 

"You know him?" 

"I do." Tom nodded, snatching up another chip. "My step-brother. His name's Alex." 

He turned in his seat, waving the blond over.

"Tom." The blond offered a small smile, coming to a stop at their table.

"Hey. Didn't you say today was your off day?"

"It was." The blond grimaced. "I messaged you earlier, when I asked where you were at." 

"My phone died right after I replied, sorry." 

"Nah, it's not a problem. I needed to see you in person anyway." He handed over the manila envelope furled up in his hand. 

"It's for me…?" Tom's brows furrowed in wary confusion. Alex nodded.

"I'm shipping out. Ben brought this over from RHQ. Mostly instructions for what to do in possible scenarios. The card is linked to my account. I'm not sure how long I'll be gone, so feel free to use it as needed. Ben said he'd take care of the bills, so you don't need to worry about them. But if anything happens or you need anything, call him, alright?" 

Tom nodded.

"I can't promise anything, but I'll try to call if I can." 

"Be safe, yeah?" Tom stood, pulling Alex into a hug

"I'll try my best." The answer was genuine, covering the air of tension as best as it could. 

The pre-mission goodbyes were never easy, getting more and more sobering each time. Life was chaotic and cruel and they both knew that death was just another possible occupational hazard. It didn't take too many late night visits to the ER to realize. 

"Be good. Don't do anything _too_ crazy" he teased, pulling away. He turned in mild amusement at the stricken looks as _all_ of them avoided direct eye contact. "That goes for _all_ of you. So listen up-" He stared pointedly at the ginger nearest to the window. 

"Let me give you lads a little tip." 

Tom quirked a brow at the random change of topic.

"Just because something is out of _your_ line of sight-" he reached over to snatch up the bright red chips box, moving far too fast to be stopped. "-doesn't always mean it's completely hidden" he plucked out the box of cigarettes. "And another tip; don't forget that peripheral vision and multi tasking is a thing. Just because I wasn't looking directly at you doesn't mean I didn't see you trying to slip this to buzz cut over there." He tossed the box back, keeping the cigarettes. "If you're going to be sneaky, you need to commit. Should have just gotten over with it. Glancing over at me every other second is only going to bring more attention to what you're doing." 

"Like I said-" Tom rolled his eyes. "You shouldn't be as good at this as you are. It's low key _terrifying_."

Alex shrugged. "What can I say? It's an occupational habit." 

"But anyway, he turned back to Tom "I've got to get going. I'll hopefully see you soon ish." Tom nodded, sobering back down.

"You too." 

He followed Alex's retreating figure, snorting as the blond tossed the box of cigarettes straight into the trash without even looking, not missing a beat before walking back out the way he came in, getting into his car and driving off without a single look back.

* * *

"I don't think we've met before, I'm Andrew. Andrew Richardson." 

He shook the proffered hand warily, thrown by the unexpected answer. 

"You're not SAS..." 

The man nodded. 

"I'm with Quantum Tech. I was told I'd need to be in uniform as well. Something about safety?" 

The blazé tone did nothing to ease the sudden headache the spy could feel coming on. Of _course_ there was a catch. He should have known by know that there was _b_ ound to be a catch. 6 rarely ever operated in ease. 

"Oh good, I see you've met the 'precious cargo'." Wolf nodded to the man. 

"He wanted to _personally_ come along." The two shared a pointed look." 

"Are you military?" 

The man shook his head, seemingly unperturbed by the silent bemusement directed toward him. Or very _very_ unaware. 

"Intelligence?" Alex tried again. 

"Definitely not." 

"National Defence?" 

"I technically work for the department of defense. But honestly I'm more of a liason than anything else because I oversee most of the manufacturing." 

"How did you get the approval for… _this_?" 

"Oh, the ride along?" 

"Yes…" Alex could have sworn he felt his eye twitch, gut tightening uncomfortably. He was pretty sure he knew _exactly_ how. Things were matching up just a _little_ too well. 

"I put in a request with the department of defense and it was accepted. I'm pretty sure I heard that MI6 played some sort of past in this. They said they would cover security. From what I heard-" his voice lowered conspiratorially "-UKSF only said they'd allow it if SIS helped. But to be completely honest with you-" he spoke up "-I think it's a little over the top, all of these precautions. I was briefed on the way over here. They told me I'd only really be needed if they find something. If not, I'll just be staying at the base camp there. No big deal." 

Alex just stared, straight up _affronted_ and at a loss for words at the utter absurdity of the situation. 

"Have you been brief on _ how _ MI6 would be running safety?" 

The man nodded. 

"I was told that a 'J-unit' will be my standby backup, and that a liason agent will run most of the active security." 

"Did they really…?" 

"They gave me some sort of file-" the man held up the manila envelope he'd been holding. "-but I'm supposed to hang on to it until after take off. That party was _ especially _ emphasized." 

Alex squeezed his eyes shut, letting out a dry huff of displeasure. The goddamn  _ au _ dacity… he took his moment to pull himself together, putting aside the flare of absolute hated for his boss before opening his eyes again to glare the man down with an unnervingly irate gaze. 

"I'm not going to say it again, so _ listen _ ." His words were measured but his tone was stiff and blatantly bemused.

"I don't know what the _ hell _ you think this is or why you chose to do this, but let's make one thing _ very _ clear-" he closed the space between so he was eye to eye with a set of startled blues.

"-this is no joke. It's not some sort of RPG 'call of duty' type adventure. We'll be flying into an actual active war-zone surrounded by _ actual _ hostiles who have _ actual _ weapons and they won't hesitate to use them. So you follow  _ my _ lead and do what _ I  _ tell you to  _ when _ I tell you to. Are we clear?" 

The man nodded vigorously, trying and failing to put together a proper response to the sudden intensity.

"Watch yourself, Richardson. You sure as  _ hell don't _ want to make me out to be your enemy."


	2. Chapter 2

"We'll be flying into the RAF base at Gaziantep, roughly seven hours, and then choppering to Manbij where we'll be meeting with our convoy. From there we'll caravan to the base. Simple stuff. Shouldn't take more than twenty hours total unless we run into any issues…" Wolf eyed Alex warily from across the small metal table. 

The blond stared pointedly back. 

"That depends on Quantum Tech over he-" all eyes turned expectantly to the odd man out. "This is the _ second _ time I've said this" the spy snatched the phone away, shutting it off in one swift motion. " _ No _ .  _ Phones _ ." The man scrambled to catch the phone slammed back toward his chest. "Oh for god sakes it can't be-" he trailed off as the attention set in, suddenly all too aware of the thirteen sets of eyes on him. "...what..?" 

"Have you made your decision?" Wolf cut in impatiently.

"About?"

"Are you  _ really _ coming along?" 

“I’m still here, aren’t I?” 

Richardson smirked, turning back to the spy. 

"Alright,  _ alright _ -" he nudged Alex in clear jest. "I get it." Alex quirked a brow, growing all the more bemused at the frivolity. "You're a young hot shot working for Secret Intelligence- James Bond and all that-" he waved his hands with a dramatic flourish. "Gotta look the part in front of the muscle. I mean, Britain's best-am I right?!" He missed the sudden set tension in the blond's jaw and the varied looks of disbelief from the others. 

"I get it- I got it. You don't need to worry about me. I'll be on my best behavior.  _ Promise _ . It'll be like I'm not even there." 

Alex breathed a deep breath, pinching irritably at the bridge of his nose trying his best to ignore the amiable pats on his back.

" _ Jesus Chr- _ alright. Fine.  _ Fine _ ." He snapped, shoving the hand off.

"That's  _ one _ decision taken care of." 

"One?" Eagle repeated bemusedly. 

"That's right. You lot have some decisions to make as well." 

"This wasn't in the briefing." Snake cut in tersely, speaking on the collective feeling of the room.

"You can thank SI for that." 

“You’re here as  _ SAS _ . That’s what was officially listed.” 

“I never said I wasn’t. I’m here as  _ both _ .” 

“ _ Both _ ?” a new voice cut in. "What the fuck do you mean 'both'" 

Snake spared a confused glance over at the brunet. 

"He's new." Otter mumbled flatly, ever the practical level headed leader of H-Unit. 

"Cub's been around for longer than you have, Lynx. Give him a break." 

"No! You all clearly know something I  _ don't _ , because I'm not about to just accept this bizarre fucking cloak and dagger mess. Not when we're about to head into an _ active war zone _ ." The shorter soldier hissed. "So, answers. Please." 

Alex contemplated a moment in grim silence, meeting the stoney glare head on with his own perturbingly flat emptiness.

"Alright." He nodded leaning forward, hands gripping the edge of the cold steel table. "But let's keep things short, yeah?" 

Lynx nodded tersely. 

"I'm Cub. You know that already. I  _ am _ actually SAS. I mean, I passed recruitment and all of that; the selection before your selection." Lynx gestured for him to continue, keenly analyzing every word. Alex could understand why the man was chosen as H-Unit's tactician. 

"But I remain unlisted because I'm not full-time." 

"So you're with reserves." 

"No." 

Lynx brows furrowed in tense confusion. 

It made no sense. He knew it made no sense, with good reason. While there was no doubt he _ was _ an actual functional member of the SAS, and while the SAS _ was _ pretty tight lipped in terms of secrecy considering the fact that they _ were _ special forces, his situation was a little more  _ enigmatic  _ than most. He _ was _ active, but he was never listed as such. Not even as a reserve. The only proof there was of any sort of connection with the SAS was the lone file Blunt had passed on to RHQ before selection, and as far as he knew, it was most likely  _ heavily _ redacted. 

It was better that way, as it should be. With an  _ official _ status came need for all the more secrecy. The less proof of his existence and connection the better. 

"I'm whatever the situation calls for. But most of the time I'm SIS."

"You're a  _ spy… _ ?" Lynx spat incredulously.

Alex nodded. "MI6." 

"Why are you _ here _ , then?" 

"I was due for a deployment. There just happened to be an overlap of interests for 6. Two birds, one stone type situation." 

"So you're running two ops then?" 

"That's the goal…" 

Lynx broke the gaze, readjusting his gaze back down at the map. He didn't look completely satisfied with the answer, but they had work to do; something the man could, thankful, sense. He'd leave it be for now, but the spy was _ painfully _ aware that the conversation was not entirely over. Just pinned away, it of sight but certainly not out of mind. 

"Like I said, SI has a stake on this mission as well, so there are some decisions that need to be made." 

_ That _ had all eyes back on him, refocusing the room, bringing everyone back to attention. 

"We'll be mostly sticking to the plan with a few changes here and there that need to be decided on."

"Do you get a say in the decisions?" Otter asked neutrality, looking up from the map.

"I'll be planning around whichever choice is picked." 

"Right, then. Let's hear the points." Wolf prompted, staring expectantly if not impatiently.

"So, we'll still be flying into the RAF base at Gaziantep. That part stays the same. K-Unit, you'll be with me. I'll be around that area for a week give or take at the very least. The rest of you have the option to stay on base for that time _ or _ you can keep with the original plan and get to Manbij. J-Unit will be coming out as convoy regardless." 

"And what about Quantum Tech?" Otter nodded stiffly over to Richardson from across the table. 

"With you guys until I make it to base. Which is why RAF is allowing the option to stay for so long."

"So if we choose to keep with the original plan, we'll be traveling with him as well?" 

The blond nodded. "J-Unit won't be able to make it out further than Manbij though, even with Quantum in tow."

The room shifted back in to silence as they contemplated, running through the lists of pros and cons in the truthfully _ aggravating _ situation. No one was happy. It wasn't in any way a situation they'd hoped to find themselves in, and the weight of the added stress was getting heavy. 

_ One _ Spec forces op was difficult enough. The operation itself was dangerous in and of its location and the objectives that were expected. Adding another mission on top of that was reckless at best. And bringing in SI?  _ That _ just brought in an  _ unwelcomingly _ detrimental feeling of apprehension and distrust; something that would _ inevitably _ come around to bite. 

"If we stay-" Lynx broke the silence "-would we _ all  _ be moving out?" 

"You'd have K-Unit to add to the convoy. Make things a little safer." Alex shrugged. 

"What about _ you _ ?" 

"I'll be making my own way to the Raqqa base myself once I accomplish what I need to." 

"All the way from _ Gaziantep…? _ " The disbelief was more than clear. 

"I've got my own set of objectives that need to be met. I'll be just fine. I just can't give a specified time frame as to  _ when _ I'll be arriving, but I  _ will _ be arriving. That's a fixed point in the second mission." 

Otter shot a questioning glance at Cheetah, C-Unit's calm and collected leader who held his gaze. 

"I think we should stay. Move as a group." Cheetah answered evenly. "I don't like the idea of a single unit traveling alone. It's not safe. And we can minimize bringing other units out more than absolutely necessary if we all convoyed over together all at once." 

Otter nodded. "I agree. We should keep as close as possible." 

The others nodded in agreement. 

"Good. We've got our starting point, then." Alex clapped his hands together with an air of ultimatum. 

"And after we make it to base?" Lynx quirked a brow." 

"We stick as close too the objectives set for the mission and lay low." The blond grimaced "and we focus on keeping this bloke-" he gave Richardson a none too gentle pat on the back. "-alive and in one piece."


	3. Chapter 3

"If everything goes according  _ to plan _ , which probably _ won't  _ happen, you won't have to use these-" the blond handed out the bulky manila envelopes. 

"But it's been decided that the mission warranted some extra security details." He watched passively as they pulled out the clipped documents, clearly made out to be cover details going by the matching passports. 

"One good thing to note is that your covers are all from the UK. That's remaining as is. _ Ideally _ , none of you are going to need to talk to anyone outside of the other units and me. But if something happens and you  _ *do _ end up needing to communicate, stick to English."

"Says here we're supposed to be guarding you."

"Yeah." 

"Then why are we separating in Gaziantep? Isn't it a little counterintuitive for you to just suddenly travel  _ *alone _ ?" 

"Snake's right, Cub. That makes no sense. 6 or not, it's reckless." Wolf added gruffly. 

"I should be set by the time you all ship out to Manbij. I’ll be more than safe if everything goes right."

"What the hell does  _ that  _ even mean?" Snake retorted in growing exasperation, reminded of just why it was that UKSF never really got along too well with SIS. Damn spies sneaking around practically  _ *living _ in the cloak and dagger-esque vagueness of secrecy. Topping a Spec Force operation with another hundred layers of unnecessary smoke and danger, in a  _ *active warzone _ nonetheless. And as brilliant as they knew Cub to be, purposefully leaving him to fly solo in an area surrounded by hostiles was *not something that even remotely resembled a 'good idea'. 

It was an absolutely * _ shite _ idea in all objectivness. 

"There's an objective I need to complete before leaving Gaziantep, but it's above UKSF clearance. It's got to be completed alone." 

"You're shitting me." Wolf muttered, narrowing his eyes in wry disbelief. 

"You know how it is, Wolf. It's not my call to make." 

"Bullshit. You're here on active SAS duty as well. This is dangerous for  _ *everyone  _ involved!" 

"I know that!" Alex snapped back, taking a sharp breath, gathering himself before speaking. "I  _ *know _ . I’m sorry. I know it’s frustrating, but it’s just how 6 works. You'll find out soon enough. It'll make sense, just not * _ now _ ." he stressed. "Like I said,  _ this _ operation touches pretty close with the active plan from SIS. Lots of overlap." 

The two faced off in silence, arguing wordlessly. 

Wolf broke off first with a hiss of irate displeasure. 

"So we follow you around for a few days and then you disappear. Is that it?" 

"For part one." 

"Part * _ one _ ...?" Eagle cut in warily. 

"Part one." Alex repeated in affirmation. "Part two is going to be a little more...Strategic." 

"When's part two?" 

"That depends on whether or not part 1 is a success." 

Wolf hummed, mouth thinning into a bemused line. 

Of *course it would...

"What I * _ can _ tell you is that it's going to include J-Unit and H-Unit as well. And it'll directly tie into the objectives of the SAS side of this operation. So keep that in mind. The objectives from SAS trump the ones from SIS."

There was a beat of silence as the implications started to register. 

"That sounds * _ weirdly _ like a conflict of interests, Cub." Snake rebuffed curtly. 

"Not when both sides share a common interest." He tossed right back. "And all fingers crossed, if we managed to get through parts one and two, part three will be* _ significantly _ less stressful." Alex nodded to Richardson who sat over by the other units, yet again scrolling through his phone.

"Part three means he'll be gone. RAF agreed to letting him tag on to return early. And after that, we'll be on the homestretch. I'll tie up a few loose strings for SIS and then I’ll be running fully SAS. We finish up the last few objectives and compile as much intel as we can and then it'll be time to leave."

"They're estimating six months. You know that, right?" 

"We're running two active operations. Six months is cutting it  _ very _ close." Alex muttered ruefully.

"I was being serious about warranting extra security details. It's a tight mission. There's no room for any sort of fuck up. And if anything  _ does  _ happen, there's no guarantee of safety for  _ anybody _ involved. Missions control ran a mock and the potential estimated casualties was  _ not  _ good." He added solemnly. "Which is why I need you all to just trust me on this." 

The four deliberated in silence, each  _ uncomfortably  _ aware of what their situation entailed and what the spy was asking for. 

It would mean that they would fly in nearly blind. But it would offer them something of a defense. They couldn't pose any sort of risk to the operation if they had no information or Intel about it to begin with. 

And if the two operations really did overlap, screwing one up would undoubtably affect the other in some shape or form. There was no option for compromise this time around and as shitty as it was, there wasn't much that could be done and they all knew it. It would just be easier to accept the unpleasantness and move on.

"Okay." Wolf nodded, putting a cap on the simmering frustration. "But at least tell us the name of who we'll be guarding. you said that ' _ we're'  _ from the UK-" he gestured to the other three. "You didn't say whether or not  _ you _ were." 

It was a fair question. He was only vaguely surprised Wolf had picked up on it. 

This was good. 

It would make things a  _ helluva _ lot easier later on. He'd need to make a long term now about _ that _ little snippet of miscellaneous information.

"Oliver Jannsen." 


	4. Chapter 4

“Richardson, with me-” Alex left the group to read over their respective papers, gesturing for the man to meet him back at the map table. 

“We’re getting on in ten. Make sure you’ve got  _ all  _ of your stuff, right. Once we’re up we’re not landing till we get to Gaziantep.” he set his gear down.

“Got it.” the man nodded, looking infinitely more sobered after the brief confrontation he’d heard earlier. 

Alex may have been the youngest, but the gruff conversations he’d had was enough for him to know that the blond really was more than capable of handling his own.

“ _ You know, I’d watch myself if I were you.” _

_ “Why’d you say that?”  _

_ “This sort of ‘ride-along’ shit doesn’t happen with UKSF. And Cub over there has his hands full as is being mostly SIS. I wager the only reason he’d been sent on this deployment is because of this whole Quantum Tech business.” _

_ “Oh…?”  _

_ “And he’s on two separate ops. Can’t imagine that sort of stress for a first deployment. Into an active warzone nonetheless. Guy’s gonna reach his limit for shit eventually…” _

“You’ll be sitting between me and Otter. It’ll be roughly seven hours until we land.. We’re taking a cargo plane. It’s going to be bumpy, so stay in your seat unless  _ absolutely  _ necessary.”

Richardson nodded. 

“Now, once we get to Gaziantep, you’ll be under base lockdown. Other than K-Unit, no other unit should be needing to leave for the remainder of the time spent there. H-Unit is going to be your ‘primary security’ until I make it to Raqqa, so whatever they say goes. And in the worst case scenario, if anything  _ does _ happen, C-Unit will cover. And at the  _ very  _ least, you’ll have a RAF unit as well.”

Alex paused, letting his words sink in. 

“There are a  _ lot  _ of things that can go wrong.  _ Heaps.  _ Especially with the extra operation on the side. I’m telling you this now because I need you to understand that I might not be able to keep you as safe as you probably think I can. You need to be  _ one hundred  _ percent aware that your security is listed as a secondary objective meaning that if it comes down to your safety and protection against either operation’s objectives, it’ll be the ops that take precedent. And  _ those  _ are orders straight from command.”

He didn’t miss the sudden hush from H and C-Unit sitting not too far away, definitely within range to have heard the entirety of the ominous admittance. 

Something about the cold self-assuredness in the words had the temperature free-falling. Mercilessness was no secret within  _ their  _ sort of work. Special forces was no joke. They did what they needed to do to accomplish whatever it was they needed to accomplish. Many means to ends. And, much like the other branches of the military, they worked in a hierarchy of power. They received instructions and orders and carried them out to the best of their abilities and were, almost always, held accountable. 

But SIS was another story altogether. A  _ concerning  _ amount of space for unaccountable actions and judgement calls, especially working alone. They knew Cub was ‘one of them’ but they also knew that he was carrying more secrets than was strictly comforting. He was running a whole separate op for fuck’s sake. 

Being given the order was one thing. 

Accepting the reality that his orders required him to  _ knowingly  _ sacrifice someone’s  _ life  _ for objectives was something  _ completely  _ different. And going by the insistence and what little they knew about him, they were almost  _ positive  _ he wasn’t lying. That, if it  _ really  _ came down to it, he wouldn’t hesitate. 

He  _ was  _ SI after all. 

But  _ that  _ opened up a whole new can of worms in that, they couldn’t say they knew just how far it was Cub was authorized to go. If he was allowed to drop the semi-civilian for the good of the missions, what else was he allowed to do? Was it just a sensitive mission that required extra delicacy or was it something closer to ‘black ops’? What could SIS  _ possibly  _ need that would let the blond to work  _ alone  _ in a combat hotspot?

And what about them? Cub was technically SAS. But would working his SIS operation bring the possibility of harm to the units? To their operation? Where did  _ they  _ rank in terms of precedence?

“I understand what you’re saying, but I’m already here. I’ll take my chances. Stay out of the way and stick to my job, alright? I promise you, it’ll be fine.” 

“In that case-” Alex gritted, eying the man critically. “-that’s all I needed to tell you. Get your stuff. I’ll get you situated.” 

Richardson nodded sharply before leaving to gather his things. 

Alex grabbed his own before making his way to where the others sat, stopping beside Otter, blocking the man’s face from view. 

“Do me a favor, yeah?” he muttered,  _ just  _ loud enough for the leader to hear. 

“Sure…?” 

“Board first.”

“What?” 

“I need you to be in front of Quantum when we board. I don’t care if it’s just you or everyone else, but I specifically need  _ you  _ to make sure to be in front of him.” 

“Just walk in…?” 

The blond nodded, staring back in unwavering seriousness.

“Alright. In that case-” Otter stood, gathering his things. “-we’ll board now. Get situated.” he gestured to his unit to follow.

“K-Unit looks like they’re prepping to get on soon. We’ll just follow them in.” Cheetah added, standing to grab his bags. 

The flurry of motion thinned into a somewhat line as they made their way over to the sizeable aircraft coming to a stop in the freezing hangar they’d been waiting in. 

Alex grabbed Richardson, pulling the man into the line ahead of him stationed behind Otter as planned. 

“It’s gonna be a tight squeeze, so just keep moving, alright? Just follow Otter.” 

“Where should I put my stuff?” 

“There’s going to be a bin when you walk in for the bags. But since you aren’t carrying a pack, just put both your bags in there.” 

“Bin. Back. Okay. Got it.” the man repeated with a nod, following Otter’s lead as H-Unit shuffled their way inside. He did as he was told, dropping his bags next to Otter’s own duffle before ambling back in step behind his impromptu guide towards the front, glancing over his right shoulder as the blond briefly stumbled, cursing under his breath. It left him completely oblivious to his left for a beat, just enough time for Alex to toss the coin in his hand just  _ barely _ ahead of Otter’s left foot. 

Otter paused mid step to check the ground but it was all that was needed. The spy wasted no time in hauling the majority of the man’s weight as he twisted to regain balance, leaning heavily back onto Alex who managed to maneuver the small black *cartridge onto the man’s jugular in the guise of clamping down on the juncture between Richardson’s neck and shoulder to better support the weight. 

The cartridge was gone in seconds, magically disappearing onto the ground behind him where C and K Unit got to witness the genuinely astonishing spy-esque situation play out in varying levels of surprise.

Otter turned briefly and muttered an apology before moving on, completely out of the loop held unaware.

Quantum managed three steps before flat out  _ dropping _ , crumpling unconscious into Alex’s waiting arms, maneuvering the man so that he was dragging him backwards towards their seats, flat out ignoring the dumbfounded stares as he hauled the unconscious man the last few steps and into his seat and, doing up the straps. And then he took his own seat tucking his bag away under before buckling himself in, sitting back with a deep breath. He gathered himself before turning his attention past the slumped body to Otter who gazed warily back.

“It’s protocol.”

“I’m not even going to ask…”

* * *

Alex gave the man a few light taps on his cheek, holding a finger under his nose to check the airflow as an extra precaution. He rolled up the thick camo sleeve, snapping the rubber just above the crook of the unconscious man's arm before and swabbed the area clean. He stuck the modified syringe into a bright blue vein, twisting the end of the glass to depress the bright blue contents of the vial chamber. 

He undid the rubber band and recapped the syringe shoving the two back into the compact case he'd taken them from, swapping it out for a separate container from his pack. With two hours left before landing it was time for him to get to work. 

"Snake-" he shouted against the roar of the engines and howling wind turbulence. The medic put his book down, attention focusing on the blond standing in front of him. 

"Yeah?" He didn't miss the syringe pen in the spy's hand. 

"I'll be gone for a bit. If he starts seizing-'" 

"Got it." Snake cut him off, piecing the general meaning together." 

"Thanks." And with that he handed the syringe over to the Scot before making his way steadily to the front, disappearing into one of the small alcoves near the cockpit.

* * *

"That's  _ actually  _ insane." Eagle remarked taking in the radical change in appearance.

"It's an important mission. They really tried this time." The spy shouted back with a wry smirk. 

"Fingers crossed it'll be good enough."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cartridge as in those blood test little needle prick things.


	5. Chapter 5

“You see that crate over there?” he nodded to the innocuous unmarked crate sitting atop the supply box of rations.

“Yeah.” 

“That’s all you guys need to bring along. Don’t bother bringing anything else.” 

“I’ll let the others know. But you do know we’ve got a base briefing in fifteen.” 

“I’ve still got some logistics issues to sort out. The Air Marshal’s already been informed. "

Snake nodded in understanding, opting not to push further. Neither operation had technically even started for them. But then again, half of it wasn’t even an SAS op to begin with. As far as they knew, Vauxhall and GCHQ were probably weeks if not  _ months  _ deep in their own overly intricate side of things. Poking and prodding so early on wouldn't help anything. He'd let the vagueness slide, for now…

“Once you guys are done, rendezvous at hanger two.”

“We're leaving already?” 

“The sun sets around five thirty. That’s three hours of extra safety. Not much, but from here on out we’ll need all the advantages we can get. Especially since it’ll only be the five of us.”

“Fair.” 

Alex shrugged, grabbing the extra duffle from the supply pile, hauling it over his shoulder on top of the massive pack. He gave the medic one last brusque wave before turning off towards the bunks.

* * *

“...an hour, Mr. Rodeem. Consider it a small mercy for a dead man walking.” 

The accent held impenetrable layers, and so had the tone. Sturdy and sure in a way that demanded a certain confidence and a cold blooded disregard for human life as a whole. 

But the ocular image was something else altogether. Bright blue eyes shone vivid almost sterling grey from behind the circular frames of the delicate, gold wire rimmed glasses. It was the halo of chocolate brown curls that  _ really  _ drove the cognitive dissonance. 

But it was the intricate sprawl of ink across the visible parts of his throat that really caught their eye. A bird in flight no doubt, wings spread curling around the sides of his neck, delicate and imposing all at once. 

Holistically it was... _ bizarre _ . 

It wasn't what  _ any  _ of them had expected. 

He looked almost…  _ cute _ .  _ Beyond  _ out of place amongst the nitty gritty tension of the base around them. 

The cozy cream of the turtleneck and the soft camel color of the oversized coat had his age spread over a  _ frustratingly  _ undeterminable scale; every bit the enigma 6 had tasked K-Unit with protecting.

He didn't look all too bothered by the apprehensive scrutiny, slipping the phone back into his coat pocket as he approached the small group. His footsteps echoed softly as the rubber soles of the sturdy leather boots rubbed against the cold concrete of the hanger. 

"Air Marshal Thornton, sir." He snapped to attention, chin up shoulders back, giving the man a sharp salute." 

"Private Rider, or I suppose  _ agent  _ Rider for now I presume. At ease." 

"Yes, sir. Director Matthews sends his gratitude. This leg of the operation was  _ considerably  _ shortened by your generosity and assistance."

"Is  _ that _ what Matthews calls it now?" He muttered, not bothering to hide his disdain.

Alex wasn't surprised. The entire operation reeked of bribery and forced favors. There was no way that Matthews, in the few weeks he'd been in office, would have been able to coordinate any sort of  _ willing  _ work between the two branches of defense. 

And if the nightmare of a situation back during the IR meeting had been anything to go by, it was that his MO tended to lean more towards  _ vicious  _ and  _ driven  _ than anything else. 

"Charming man, really." Alex added dryly, wiping the faux geniality from his face. It drew a well earned snort from the man. 

"In any case, I am stopping by to let you know that HQ has denied the request for possible back up in this operation."

"Had there been any sort of reason given, if I may ask."

"We received new intel this morning of multiple sightings of one Yassen Gregorovich and several mercenary teams most likely under his control. Nothing striking. But it is not a risk HQ is willing to take."

Alex couldn't even argue. 

Directly or indirectly, Gregorovich wasn’t a man to be messed with. And what’s more, if the assassin had allowed himself to be openly sighted, there would almost certainly be hired guns in the area as well making everything all the more dangerous. And RAF had been accommodating enough as it was in an operation they were not  _ at all _ a part of.

"It's more than understandable, sir.” He replied politely. "The safety of your men come first. 6 should have taken these things into account. Like I said before, sir. Allowing us access to the base was more than helpful as it was."

The man hesitated a moment, regarding Alex with an indeterminable gaze, breaking abruptly.

"Godspeed, gentlemen." 

Alex tracked the man until he turned the corner out of the hanger, out of sight and hearing range before whirling back to the group. 

"Well  _ shit _ …" he cursed sharply

If the intel had been found this morning, 6 would have been sure to have seen it as well by now. Would have analyzed and run the threat levels. But the silence across the emergency line told him all he needed to know. 

Yassen Gregorovich and company be damned, the operation would continue as planned. They'd just have to figure things out as they went, helter skelter, and hope for the best; stoking the white hot embers of resentment and anxiety that had taken root in the days after the *IR meeting.

_ "This was nothing personal."  _ He hadn’t believed it then and he didn’t believe it now because it  _ felt  _ personal. The man had  _ publicly  _ attacked him, questioning not only his judgement and skill but sinking further down to question his  _ loyalty _ . If that hadn’t been enough he had Alex teetering on the precipice of a possible spiral down his deepest darkest insecurities and fears labeling him as reckless and unstable pushing the spy into a dangerous headspace of self doubt. 

And despite all of  _ that _ , Matthews had, in the same breath, thrown him head first into the current op  _ knowing  _ the dangers and risks, throwing his safety out the window. He was  _ definitely  _ aware of Yassen’s presence in the area which in turn included SCORPIA’s presence as well doubling, if not  _ tripling _ the level of danger, something Matthews was  _ obviously  _ ready to sacrifice in the name of success. 

But Matthews wasn’t the one who was leading a team into the dark underbelly of a blackmarket arms operation. And going by the Intel his informant in the area had passed along, there were a little  _ too  _ many familiar faces hunkered down in the area. MI6 had been  _ heavily _ on guard this time around. His own cover had been  _ months _ in the making, even before they had decided on who on the roster would go in. There were layers upon  _ layers  _ of history and connections nevermind the small details that really brought ' _ Oliver Jannsen _ ' to vivid  _ vicious  _ life.

"What was that all about?" Wolf asked gruffly, watching Alex jolt out of his solemn stillness. 

"Something I figured would happen. It's nothing serious." He waved off the concern. 

"There are uniforms in the crate, boots and all. It should be a rifle and two hand guns for each of you. The ammo's going to be in the black duffle along with some knives and other tactical gear." 

Eagle whistled appreciatively, hauling the massive stash of weaponry out of the crate.

"Is this the sort of funding SIS gets for its ops? Not that I'm complaining…"

"It was a gift."

"Isn't that-is that  _ legal _ ?" 

"A  _ conditional  _ gift." 

"Oh…?" He didn't look all too sure.

Alex didn't offer a response, fingers racing across the screen of his phone. He turned abruptly, hovering over the green call answer.

"Get ready. We leave in ten."


End file.
